What's On My Mind

Choosing the name for my blog was easy.  It simply reflected a stage in my life I had arrived at.  A place I was content to be and a chance to do many exciting and challenging things I had not had the time nor inclination to do earlier as I was a busy mother and carer.

However, I know that not all mothers come to this stage easily.  Just the other day I read a story that upset me a lot.  It concerned a lady who was suffering from Empty Nester Syndrome.  The impact of this problem on herself and her husband was and is profound and it made me realise that I needed to make some reference to this problem on my blog.

If you (or someone you know) is showing the more obvious signs of this insidious problem, then take the steps to get qualified help as soon as possible.  There is no stigma in admitting you have this problem.  Every mother misses their children when they leave home, but for some it simply affects them differently.

Help is all around and two great places to start are you own doctor or simply jump on the internet and search for local support nearby.

If anyone wants to post a note about this profound subject I’d certainly like to hear from you anytime.

I am so lucky to be able to “pop down to the shops”!  My poor little old car hardly gets used at all these days and I seem to wear out the soles of my shoes a lot faster than ever before.  Hawksburn Village is located on Malvern Road and it is chock full of great food stores, eating places, dress shops, a great book store and many more wonderful places to spend your money.  Probably the best known store in the block is Minimax which has attracted people to shop here for as long as I can remember.  For a special treat, I love to have a nice night out at Bistro Thierry or Cafe Latte and for lunch Cooper and Milla’s has great take-away food or the new kid on the block Hobba is serving up great lunches too.

Italian pasta lovers will always get their fill at Donnini’s Pasta.

There are so many wonderful clothing shops including Gant, Witchery and many more lovely little boutiques housed in cute little Victorian-style buildings.

I found this old tram sign which I haven’t decided what I want to do with yet…maybe a cushion, maybe I’ll frame it for my black and white theme…who knows?

Tribute for Poppy R.I.P.

Sunday, 4th September was Father’s Day in Australia and for a very lucky Mr. E.N.L. his little birdie had come home to nest!

She gave him a really cute little book of wisdom, which in the way that we have become to expect of our precious offspring, was hidden under his pillow for him to find when he finally turned in for the night.  It was a simple, white book, tiny, with a face made out of the letters D A D but it had some really beautiful quotations and sayings contained within it.  I would like to share the beautifully written introduction with you:

“Our dads are teachers, nurturers, and protectors.  They play with us, laugh with us, and best of all, they love us unconditionally.

When we need someone to hold us tight and keep us safe, they’re always there.  When we need someone to inspire and encourage us, they cheer us on.  When we need someone to brighten our day, they tell us jokes and make us smile.

They are our constant support, the framework of our lives”.

My beautiful father (poppy) to 4 grandchildren who absolutely idolised him sadly was not here this Father’s Day but he sure was on my mind.   He was a wonderful man who served in World War II, returned to a successful career as a pharmacist, was father to three daughters and lived to the ripe old age of 91 years.

As I grow older (and hopefully more wiser) and now that I am an empty nester, I have more time to reflect on life and one thing is for sure – the family is the most important part of my life.   In the words of Lee Iacocca “The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that really works, is the FAMILY“.